Lock for knife switches



' p 4 L. H. RUSSELL LOCK FOR KNIFE SWITCHES I Filed May 15, 1942 vLAWRENCE H. RUSSELL assesses;7;11 a

iect the provision of. simple, inexpensive, and Pos iv means "wh h, invar o s "modifi a o s; may beiused with any conventional switch of, thismovementjof the switch in either direction, where;- lre io s k n or 1atce viq s have nfe amopen switch OIOI J Enin-g close Swim e asemaybeqfurther object is to provide whic intothe switches.

. 'lqhe invention,ma lees jets-swa hsJt' ibiihf I siinple inexpensivedevice which, manufactured ,in a..few sizes, can be employed to lockorlatch installation on the insulated switohp'a'nel so that that; typeof switch having twoqormore spaced 1 parallel blades connected by; across-bar of v insul'ated or insulating material. 1;. It has for itsobton yqtmh -f w tc slqsed. 11 h r H Qr i y improved ktes t reye i le fiheape i i c as t s.wi hqu m f e ii .efit switch s r ctu e. lwhcre s re pr latching mechanisms have been b uilt "ST 'TE SfPATENT OFFICEzgszasisf, r

f" na r icen ntssu, Saginaw, Mich.

A praise 5, 1942, Serial No. 443.039

:Ti'liS invention, relatesto enew andpuseful I i v tending upwardiinthedrawing, which .byhen V ainer, or '1 look i for knifeswitches;particularly" gagingbase 4 limits the upward or counter-0100b kindi o Prvent s acc den a o un hor ed. I

wise movement of member I. on'its pintle. a Below thepintle; memberlpresentsan abutmentrfaice fiat-an angle to theface of foot 5 whichsimilarly limits the downwardmovement ofjmember l, clockwise-..in ,Figs.l .and 2. The "abutment head .or- -stop member 21' is spaced from thefoot to .provideja .relief to-acc0mmodate the switch x cross-"bar 1. 1'

I ,Thebaseplate 4is located (upon the. panel Oso thatthebodyll .or head2 can not touch anyblade A of .the switch, and theabutment head 2 whenloweredjolears the path of movement of the crossbar B." When the bodymember I islrais ed to its uppermost position the head Zliesinthe arc ofmovement ,of the cros -b r B l flt el w hi closed, as shown in solidlines, the inner face of the. head 2 lies over the cross-bar B toprevent opening the switch. When the switchisopen; as

3 indicated in broken lines, the-outer faoe ofhead 2 obstructs thecross-bani? so that the switch a n tbei e ;1 it A Various quick acting Vdevicesm'ay be utilized to actuate orretafin the pivoted body member land 1 abutment head-2 in docking position; For exi ample, Fig.2 showsa'bore l lengthwise. through thebodyl receiving a pin,8. whichisinovableto it atnotime can come meontactwimany con- Iductingmemberfit minimiseshazards andrenhders unnecessary the use of a hot sticker other.insulatedtool to actuateit,

Other features and advantages or. my invention twill be apparent inthecourse of thefollowing specification. Referring to the accompanyingdrawing, Fig. l a side elevation, partly in section, showing a deviceaccording to the invention applied tofa' knife-switchof standard formj Vi Fig. 2 is an enlarged part-sectional side eleva- .tionof the lock andswitch of Fig.1 1, showing it equipped forkey control; and

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a lock according to the invention.

Referring to Fig. 1,2. knife-switch having two ormore parallel blades Aconnectedby a crossbar B of ebonite, or other insulating lor insulatedtalge against the base plate 4 and hold the mem- "flbenlsupin lockingposition. The bore [is tapped for a short distance and pin Bis-thrfaddht.9

r so thata few turns of thepin by its knurled head ll! will lock memberI in its raised position.

Intermediate its ends pin 8 may be relieved or reduced in diameter as atII. A set screw I2. is

.inserted through the wall of member I with its .bolt to drop out. a

The device of Fig. 1, when raised, prevents accidental opening orclosing of the switch, and also discourages its mistaken operation by anexcited operator because of the time interval required to turn pin 8 andrelease the switch.

When it is desired to prevent unauthorized, as

well as accidental or erroneous operation of a i switch, the pin 8 maybe provided with a key:

actuated mechanism 13 indicated in Fig. 2, which Fig. 3 shows amodification of the locking device of Figs. 1 and 2, adapted to beinstalled so that i it normally hangs in switch-locking position.

The body member I and theabutment head 2 are 7 formed for installationabove the cross-bar B of the switch, being pivoted to pintle 3 on base6a.

The movement of body member I about pintle 3 is limited by a latchingstop member 8a. In the example shown, the latching action is provided bysplitting the inner end of the movable pin 8a by intersecting slots I!so thatit is compressible diametrically. The inner end of the'pin 8a isupset to provide a shoulder I5 of larger diameter than the body of thepivot. The enlarged end has its corner beveled for latching engagement.in a shouldered recess [6 in the basepl'ate i. The

outer edge of the shouldered recess is also beveled 1 so that when thelocking member is allowed to drop down with normal force the splitshoul'd'e'r i s will be compressed and catch within the aperture l6.

To release the catch, the spne-end ortien or i pin 8m is reduced indiameter to present attapered portion 19 just beyond the end of the borel: in'; the body member. Drawingthe "8a outwardly or urging the bodymember 5-! inward.-

ly relative to the pin "compresses the v split end or the "pingso thatthesho'u'lder i 54at its "extremity will pass through therestrictedportion of aper- T For automatic latch action the pin may-benor mally "waged to the right in Fig. 3.. by'; spring means not shown."Or, as shown, the body of the pin may be "grooved at 2!lengthwise,-=tlien transversely.- A 'set*'sc'rew 2Q :in -the "wall ofmember l-extends int-o" groove-2l so t-hat the he automatic 'latch-in'gdevice o Figs win be found particularly usefulin installationsfwherefquick openi g offthe' switch is desirable.

"lh'e chances of accidental or hafsty opening or F ee n are m mi ed sthe operat r miis'tfuse *both hands to open 'orclose the switch, s Insortieihstances a fixed abutment take Y the place r the latching i sa."Th abut 'Inent head" 2 prevents accidental "opening of the switeh'"since it normally hangs "in the position shown, and to open or closethe switch the operator must lift and hold the latching devices out ofthe way of the cross-bar B with one hand in order to open or close theswitch.

invention herewith shown and described are to ice taken as preferredexamples of the same, andv that various changes in the shape, size, and

arrangement of parts may be resorted to with-t out departing from thespirit of the invention 'ortherscope 'of the appended claims.

' Having thus described m'y-invention, What I *claim and desire tosecure. by LettersPatent is:

ii'ng 'a cross bar comprising an abutment membermovable -into and out ofthe-path of travel of said cross bar efiective when'in said pathoftravel either toprevent closing the open switch or to retain the switchclosed, said abutment member being pivoted to abase plate adaptedto b eiastenedto the "panel, and m ans for pesi "tit/ 8137, retaining saidabutment member f ll-file pathofs'aid c'r'oss bar;saidretainingzmeanswinprising ad-ju's'table stop' provided on: ta-id 'piate- 2. 1A lockingdevice reia knife-swam having a {a cross bar eompr-isin' 'an abutmentmembe movable mm and enter the: path of said cross bar -efiective whenin said pat or travel either to prevent closing the open switch; er toretain the switch closedgs'aid abutment member being 4 pivoted; on "a-pi-n tle carried by {a pad adapted t'o be fastened to the "switchpanel,- and aura: o acting screw means provided on saiidabfitmeht'member adapted to bear against said padfand retain the abutment memberin locking position. '3. A 'locking memberffor a knife switch eem; iprising in combination a body member hat-ra '4 an abutment headandpivotedonabase mem her which is adapted to be secured to the supor erthe knife swit chgsaid abutment head iormed'with a stop member adapted"to engage Lsaid base to limit pivotal movement of the abutment head inone direction, said jbody mem her being also provided with'quick'actingfretainof the body member "and threadedfthereto, and kejyajctuated locking means for "securing said pininf'saidbody., v

' LAWRENCE RUSSELL;

5 It is to be understood that the forms of my 7 ';1 A locking devicefora knife-switch hav abutment mernber' t'o fbe'ar 'aga mstsaiii

